With the athletic world’s gaze fixated on the city of Paris, New Balance is broadening its horizons with the launch of a five-sneaker “City Exclusives” pack which will be released globally, but each shoe will only be available in one place.
Paying homage to several of the key regions in the brand’s legacy, the New Balance 991v2 “City Exclusives” pack includes five styles connected to Baltimore, Shanghai, Tokyo, Paris and Seoul & Melbourne, Australia jointly. Constructed at New Balance’s Flimby factory in England, each shoe follows a similar theme, decking out the 991 sequel in two-tone color blocking. A black waffle mesh makes up the underlays on all five looks, but it’s the vibrant pigskin suede that sets each pair apart.
Baltimore’s pair is colored in royal blue, while Shanghai takes on a deep red. Tokyo receives a pink execution, Paris gets covered in lime green and Seoul & Melbourne’s style is a taxi cab-like yellow.
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In a short promotional video shared on Instagram, New Balance highlights the intricate manufacturing process of each pair at its Flimby factory. The process is documented from the cutting of the suede to the final stage of packaging the shoes and can be viewed below.
For readers on the hunt for a particular pair, here’s what you need to know. The Baltimore style will be released exclusively from Social Status. The Shanghai look can be purchased solely from the city’s NB Grey store. Tokyo’s pink rendition will be available from Atmos Japan. The Paris pair launches only at Starcow and lastly, the Seoul & Melbourne makeup will be released at Australian retailer Up There.
According to New Balance’s Instagram post, the full collection launches Saturday, August 10. However, some retailers have announced other dates for their launches. Social Status’ raffle for the Baltimore pair is open now, with a launch celebration planned for August 16. Atmos says a lottery for its Tokyo style (which it also confirmed is limited to only 500 pairs) will begin August 5. Starcow plans to release the Paris iteration on August 8.
Retail pricing for the New Balance 991v2 “City Exclusives” pack is set at $250 each.
